Chapter 518: It Can Be Considered a Test of Contingency
Li Yanping smiled bitterly and shook his head: "You are not a master, and you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are. Now you only have some direction on big things, and you are basically no longer involved in other work. There are some things that you still know and don't have enough control over."
Especially in the area of local economic construction, you only value industry and military industry, and basically ignore light industry that is related to people's livelihood."
"Based on our current development trend, it can be said that our original rural self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy in the base areas has gradually been broken. Last year, the output of homespun cloth in the base areas has dropped by 60% compared with the Puppet Manchukuo period.
There is more. It can be said that the needs of the rural people alone are a huge amount."
"Nowadays, the masses are becoming more and more dependent on market supply. If we cannot meet the masses' basic needs for clothing, something will happen. Even the self-sufficient homespun cloth in rural areas still needs cotton to weave. The biggest problem at the moment
The difficulty is that the quantity of cotton is far from meeting the demand."
"If we can't guarantee that we can find a new source in a short period of time, we can barely use these one thousand tons of cotton ourselves. Even if we add in the subsequent imports, we can only guarantee that the troops will change their equipment next spring, and
Based on the local people’s livelihood needs after next spring.”
"We can't even build the most basic reserves. Lao Yang, the people not only need to eat, but also have clothes to wear. They say that the national economy and the people's livelihood, the national economy and the people's livelihood, in addition to the national economy, the people's livelihood issues come first
Secondly, if the people's morale is unstable, can the military's morale be stable?"
"Actually, we made an analysis based on the population and weather conditions there. The Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region's output of one million kilograms of lint this year can basically meet the needs of the people's livelihood, institutions, and troops in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region.
About sixty of them. There is a certain shortage of the rest, and the quantity will not be too much."
"After all, for ordinary people and institutions and schools that do not march all day, the loss of cotton-padded clothes and quilts will not be too great. For a field army that marches all day, the demand for cotton-padded clothes and quilts will be
It’s very big. But for institutions and schools, a cotton coat can last for two years.”
"As long as winter clothing like cotton-padded clothes does not rot due to poor storage, it will not be completely unusable after one year. For the people in northern Shaanxi who are already relatively poor, it is impossible to make a set of cotton-padded clothes or cotton-padded clothes in a year.
It’s enough to make one quilt a year.”
"So we believe that the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region's one million kilograms of lint cotton output this year should meet at least 60% or more of the required amount. This is still the result of us lowering part of the budget. If we properly compress some water
, the ratio I want to be satisfied with can only be higher.”
"As for the troops in North China, according to our assumptions, even if the Japanese army is tightly blockaded, they can still raise part of it themselves. In fact, we estimate that if the other troops in North China, except for the Shandong troops, have 300,000 kilograms of lint, it will be
It’s almost there. I think it’s perfectly fine to ask the central government to reduce some of it. Can we provide funds for the missing part?”
"The Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region is within easy reach of the main cotton producing areas in the northwest such as the Guanzhong Plain and the Longdong region. In fact, all base areas in North China, except for Beiyue District in Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Province, are not far from cotton producing areas. Even Chongqing
The blockade between the enemy and the Japanese army is tight, and there are no loopholes that can be exploited. As long as we meet the needs as much as possible in terms of funds, I think they still have a way."
Regarding Li Yanping's answer, Yang Zhen did not answer that he still hoped that the central government could reduce some of the needs. Instead, he said simply: "If we can't find a sufficient amount of wool, then we will make some thin cotton coats as a substitute for sweaters.
In a word, we are trying every possible means to not only meet the needs of the central government, but also to ensure that the troops receive winter clothing on time and in full."
"And it cannot affect the people's livelihood in the base area, leaving the people without clothes. Whether the people's sentiment is stable or not is the most critical factor in the stability of our rear. At the same time, whether we can meet the people's most basic production and living needs during wartime, and more
It is a test of the governance ability of the party committee and the government. One day, we will go nationwide. This incident should be regarded as a test of the governance response of our local party committee and government."
"However, I still suggest that you should not hang yourself from a tree, but walk on multiple legs. We should also say hello to Eddie Peng and ask him to communicate and coordinate with the Americans as soon as possible to ship the second batch of cotton we ordered as soon as possible.
As for the Soviets, since they won’t spit on them, we won’t force them.”
"Old Li, this is not a problem of materials, but a problem of attitude. All our current cotton needs to be provided by the outside world. This situation cannot be changed for the time being due to climate and other reasons. With the development of light industry in the base area and the replacement of troops,
To meet the needs of packaging, our demand for cotton can only get higher and higher."
"With the inability to change the source of cotton, finding partial substitutes and reducing our dependence on cotton as much as possible has become an inevitable choice for us in the future. This time for us, although it is forced,
But it’s also an opportunity to find alternatives.”
"It is difficult for us to take the initiative to change many things without the promotion of the outside world. Although I am not a person who does everything by myself and has enough food and clothing, we must not develop over-reliance on the outside world. Once a habit is formed, then
If you want to change, it will be difficult.”
"Lao Li, you just said that we need not only winter clothes, but also quilts and other materials that use a lot of cotton and products. Isn't there a large amount of the same needs in the central government? We need clothes here, and we need clothes over there.
People don’t wear clothes anymore? We need cotton here, but they don’t need cotton over there?”
"One million kilograms of lint cotton seems like a lot. But it can't all be used to make winter clothes. It should be divided equally in all aspects. Think about it, is it enough? There are also the same needs in the North China base area. We import cotton here, but
It takes money and time. And to get cotton over there, they need blood and lives."
"Old Li, it's not that I, Yang, just go on the line regardless of the actual situation in my own troops and surrounding areas. There are some things that I can't tell you now. But there is one thing that you must do regardless of whether we understand it or not. That is the Central Committee
If you need anything, just ask and try your best to satisfy them.”
"Don't give the central government the impression of Northeastern mountain-headism and localism. We have already formed a tacit understanding in the team building, and I don't want to be disturbed by the transfer of personnel. And in fact, it is not easy for the central government to speak once, let alone
It is very difficult for the central government to open this mouth after careful consideration. As long as it can be solved by itself, the chairman will not open this mouth."
Yang Zhen's words made Li Yanping hesitate for a moment, but finally nodded. Now that the matter had been discussed, Li Yanping, who was eager to go back to continue negotiations with the Soviet Union, did not delay. Other issues can be postponed. The top priority now is,
It is to deal with the batch of materials detained in Vladivostok.
This matter cannot be solved. Not to mention exceeding the needs of the central government, the Anti-Japanese League itself may not be able to satisfy even a pair of cotton trousers. After saying a simple goodbye to Yang Zhen and Guo Bingxun, Li Yanping grabbed his military cap and left in a hurry.
It really comes in a hurry and goes in a hurry.
In fact, Li Yanping's judgment is still accurate. Despite Peng Dingjie's repeated negotiations, a series of problems such as changing the original procurement plan, funding, transportation, and even delivery and export procedures in a short period of time need to be solved again.
and make plans.
Especially at a time when the United States is fully providing assistance to the British forces in North Africa, and is providing aid to the Soviet Union to seize transportation capacity and transportation channels within the Soviet Union, transportation methods are even more difficult to solve. Although the Americans are willing to provide free transportation capacity, this plan will have to wait until early December
When assisting Su, we will start transporting them together.
It’s just that the Americans can’t be in a hurry, but the Anti-Japanese League can’t wait. In desperation, the Anti-Japanese League can only spend part of the foreign exchange and hire a Dutch cargo ship to transport the cotton from the United States. But when the Soviet Union entered the country, another incident occurred
A lot of trouble. Regarding this Dutch cargo ship, the Soviets refused to allow it to enter Vladivostok.
Despite Peng Dingjie's best efforts, due to transportation capacity constraints and other reasons, by the time the second batch of cotton ordered by the Anti-Japanese League arrived, it would already be early November. If we really wait until then to prepare winter clothing for the entire army, follow the instructions
Considering the climate in the Northeast, especially Northern Manchuria, where it snows at the end of October, people may freeze to death.
However, although the American cotton did not arrive in time, the sheep that were raised in large quantities in the base area to provide meat for the troops had short growth cycles and did not require special fine feed. During this change, the amount of cotton was always insufficient.
This can be said to solve quite a big problem.
When the troops changed their uniforms this year, except for the second-line local troops and aviation ground staff, everyone received all Japanese-made winter clothes, some old cotton-padded clothes recycled last year, and some old military coats handed over by the Soviet Army. The entire army received
In addition to everyone above and below, everyone was issued a suede smooth short sheepskin coat specially used by the Soviet Siberian troops to replace the troops' original Chinese-style tied cotton coats.
About a third of the troops also received the first sweater that most soldiers have ever worn in their lives. Although the sweater is a bit too rough due to the wool, it is much lighter than the cotton-padded jacket.
Troops stationed in the northernmost and alpine areas of the base, such as Heihe, each received a thickened sheepskin coat.
But as Li Yanping said, you can't shave a sheep and use it for skinning and skinning. After all the sheepskins in the base area are made into coats, the wool transported from the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia and Shanxi-Suiyuan border areas is far from enough.
If the need is met, the sweater can only be replaced by a thin cotton-padded coat with reduced material, which can be used as a second layer of warmth.
However, using sheepskin as a substitute partially solved the problem of winter clothing for the troops. But another consequence of killing nearly a million sheep is that the supply of mutton in the base throughout the winter far exceeds other meats. As the first
A group of victims' troops ate mutton for a whole winter after retreating to their bases for rest and replenishment.
To meet the sheepskin requirements for hundreds of thousands of troops, the number of sheep killed will definitely not be a small number. Making a shearling sheepskin coat, even a short coat, is not enough with just one sheepskin. In addition to the need for cotton shoes,
To meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of troops making winter clothes, at least about a million must be slaughtered to meet the needs.
In order to meet the demand for sheepskins, not counting the hundreds of thousands of sheepskins exchanged or purchased from the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, among all the sheep raised by the entire Production and Construction Corps, except for the too small lambs and some of the remaining breeds
Except for sheep, all were killed. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of sheep skins were purchased in the Mongolian settlement areas of Western Manchuria.